Beer: Ratings & Reviews

In no way did this resemble a barleywine, but it was very complex and very tasty. be ready for a punch of tartnes but still a full flavored beer mouthfeel. alcohol is not present much taste wise. Just enough pleasant malt to balance the tartness.. loved it

Taste starts with fruity sweetness, immediately followed by sour vinegar, sweet and sour balance each other out perfectly. There is a subtle presence of rum. Semi-dry finish and long lasting sourish boozy aftertaste. Mouthfeel is medium with very low carbonation.

Excellent. Certainly will go to the shop to buy a couple more bottles for ageing.

A - A collection a big bubbles tops a dark red-brown body. Typical BFM in that it's pretty much still. Once the bubbles vanish this looks like a bit like semi-transparent blood.

S - Well, if this is supposed to be an English barleywine then I'm guessing they were shooting for historical accuracy. The initial aroma is lactic sourness, a kiss of rye and other toasted grains, oak, and vanilla. As the beer warms up I get more in the way of tart green apples and sour cherry vinegar. This actually seems more sour than the BFM Grand Cru variants.

T - The rum finally makes a brief appearance mid-palate imparting some sugary sweetness that complements the malt and oaky vanilla flavors. Not sure what rum barrels were used, but there isn't much, if any, spice character. Light oxidation and definitely sweeter and more sherry-like than the aroma. Finishes lightly tart and vinous, but not vinegary as previously suggested by the smell.

M - Medium-full body, tannic and dry texture, very low carbonation, and the typical deceptive BFM alcohol. There's no way I'd guess this was anywhere near 12%.

D - A very strange beer, and not at all what I was expecting from the description. The rum presence is quite mild, and the souring bacteria have really taken hold here. Quite easy to drink considering the ABV, but unfortunately not as easy to drink considering the price. I hope the Grand Cru - Rhum is somewhat similar, as I enjoyed this quite a bit.

A - Cloudy mahogany (brown, red, hint of purple), minimal head, but with some nice almond colored lacing. Appearance is thick, like a 1.020 FG or higher. It's definitely carbonated, but low for sure. The look is that if a fine barrel aged beer.

S- Vanilla (from the barrel or the rum, not sure) with caramel, definitely hints of rum and raisins. A fairly sweet smell.

T- raisins, dates, hints of prunes, red wine, oaky, slightly tart, and only the slightest bit of funk. Compared to your average English Barleywine his is funky, but I wouldn't call this a funky beer.

M - thick and chewy, it really rolls around and coats well. It's fairly tannic on the finish. I'd like to see this 5 years from now.

O- it's tasty and I'm glad to see Spike experimenting/learning about barrels and funk. It reminds me of something from Russian River, something from a red wine barrel, I just can't remember what. Anyway, it's tasty and I'd recommend trying it, but like I said, I'd like t see a bit more age on it.

A - Served a cloudy red color with a touch of brown and very little head and no lace.

S - Aroma is a mix of sour cherries, oak, vanilla, and a bit of booze.

T - Starts off with a mix of sour and tart cherries with some oak and vanilla in the background. Through the middle, some more sourness comes through alongside some caramelized malts and some light booze. The sourness mellows a bit as the beer finishes with some more oak coming through.

I poured this beer into a snifter to maximize the aroma off this blended ale.

Off the top I pick up a decent amount of sour off the top. This is a very rich smell with lots of fruit in there (like cherry and dark fruit). I would say that this carries more of the biere de Garde style to the bouquet.

The flavor is rich as well. I like the way that this biere lingers in the mouth.

I was lucky to have found this at a liquor store about six months ago. I think I opened it at the perfect time to maximize the flavor and nose.

Bought a 11.4 FL. OZ. - 33cl bottle of this from the Thirsty Monk in Asheville, NC for $14.99. Poured from the Swingtop Corked bottle w/ both the Terrapin Turtle & BFM Lizard on the front of the label into a Shaker Glass. Has no bottled on date or lot # but does say "BREWED IN 2011" on the front. Lets see what this Barley Ryne has to offer!

Aroma- Has a big time sour cherry aroma from the beginning to the finish. Rye, light hops, and Belgian malts come through also. Not sure this is very "true to style" for a Barleywine... Will give an average because it is like BFM to include belgian/sour notes in every aroma.

Appearance- Pours no head at all and leaves no lace afterwards. Deep reddish colored body with semi-hazing.

Flavor- Has a huge acidic beginning and then pomegranate and fruit continue from the middle of the drink til the end. Has hardly any bitterness at the finish but very sweet.

Mouthfeel- Medium Bodied, Light-Medium Carbonation, Smooth, has a ton of sweet and sour tastes that remain on the palate.

Overall Impression- Like many BFM beers, there is always going to be funk and completely different characteristics than what the style really should be. I would say you should DEFINITELY go out of your way to get a bottle of this. Not too much rye included and not sure why this was. A English Barleywine? Probably not. A Sour Barleywine we can call this!

Flip-top bottles poured into a snifter and pint glass. Murky red-hued amber body. No real head, even trying to induce it with an aggressive pour.

Tart, dark fruit and sweet rum and malt in the nose, like cranberry and figs. Low carbonation but nice density helped by the original gravity and casking. Faint sweet vanilla note on top of rum and malt, wild lambic yeast character (but really the conditioning), and a slight tartness. The finish is amazing, with a dry sourness characteristic of cask-conditioned (sorry, there's nothing else to compare it to) and Flemish ales. It keeps going on and you can't help but smack your lips.

It's the closest thing to a cask-conditioned experience, in a bottle, that I've had. The ABV is well hidden, if not for the lack of head. It's pretty hard to compare this with other English Barleywines, and unfair to do so with Flemish sours. Definitely a unique and enjoyable brew and treatment.

A: A hazy brown color with no head and legs that just stick to the glass and don't move. The carbonation is struggling to get to the top of the beer.

S: Caramel malt, sour plum, port, and a very boozy quality to the aroma.

T: The acidic/sour flavors hit right up front and continue into a citric acid puckering finish. Initially there are some fruity plum, cherry and caramel flavors underneath the sourness. The cherry flavor continues into the finish and eventually (30 seconds or so later) a slight clove spice comes through the sourness.

M: A heavier feel that is sugary sticky. The finish is impressive. Dry and sour with the flavors actually changing long after the beer is swallowed.

O: Very unique and complex beer. One of the better sour beers I've had

O: Very tasty and drinkable beer. As mention before by other reviewers, this beer is much closer to a Wild/Sour than to a Barley Wine. It reminded me their BFM "Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien Grand Cru (Aged In Rhum Barrels)". By the way, a beer for real men, sissies won't like it

S- starts of with a toffee like malt profile with note of dark fruit. Rum characteristics really shine with a touch of spice and a hint of sugar cane. Slight basalmic vinegar sour notes with a huge spicy toasty oak finish. For 12% the alchohol is hidden beautifully.

T- big toffee malt with a touch of sweetness at first. Big spicy oak rum barrel knocks out the sweetness like Mike Tyson in super punch out leaving a spicy toasty flavor with a hint of basalmic sour. Finishes with a peppery bitterness, rye spiciness and long lasting oakiness.

MF- slick oily mouthfeel that is a bit thin for a barleywine. Almost no carbonation with an average body.

D- great complexity a real headscratcher. The drinkability for the ABV is down right great.

Not a pretty beer, but not terrible for a barleywine. Little carbonation, and a cloudy reddish brown, almost turbid. A swirl leaves some bubbly legs.

Strawberry jam, cider vinegar, raisins, candi, tart yeast, vanilla, and rumcake. Delicious aroma, not what I thought it would be, but it has my saliva glands activating juicily.

Perhaps this is a historic recreation of an EBW, sure not like any I know. It starts with tart yeast, sour fruit, raisins and figs, some light vinegar to it, maybe a bit of wood and vanilla, just a hint of hoppy bitter in there. Sip ends with the tart and sweet elements combining in a wonderful and delicious balance. Alcohol is completely hidden, as well as any beer I've tried. 12%? You must be kidding!!

Big thanks goes out to my doppelganger for sharing this one while sitting by the pool in the recent 100+ °F weather! Served from bottle into a shaker. Poured a murky reddish brown with a minimal off-white head. Maintained nice lacing throughout the glass. The aroma was comprised of sweet malt, caramel, tart, tart cherries, fruit, wood, subtle vanilla, and alcohol. The flavor was of sweet malt, tart, tart cherries, fruit, wood, and alcohol. It had a medium feel on the palate with mild carbonation. Overall this was a pretty good brew. I was really taken back by the tartness going on here as I was not expecting it to be there at all. It did however blend in fairly well with the other aspects of the beer that were to be found here. One of my gripes is that the alcohol definitely made itself known early and didn't let you forget it was there after each sip. But the tartness did help to balance this out some however. Definitely worth trying if you get the chance and like a little well balanced tartness in your beer.